The Hawaiian garden eel[2] (Gorgasia hawaiiensis) is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels).[3] It was described by John Ernest Randall and James Robert Chess in 1980.[4] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Hawaiian archipelago (from which its species epithet is derived), in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. It is non-migratory, and is thought to be restricted to the region. It dwells at a depth range of 11 to 53 metres (36 to 174 ft), and leads a benthic life, forming burrows in sand. Males can reach a maximum standard length of 59.8 centimetres (23.5 in).[3]
Hawaiian garden eel | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Anguilliformes |
Family: | Congridae |
Genus: | Gorgasia |
Species: |
G. hawaiiensis
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Binomial name | |
Gorgasia hawaiiensis J. E. Randall & Chess, 1980 |
This eel appears during sunrise and returns to its burrow around sunset, making it a diurnal animal. Although burrows of this eel are more abundant in shallow water, larger burrows belonging to this eel can be found in deeper water.[5]
The Hawaiian garden eel's diet consists of zoobenthos.[6]
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